The series starts off with a conversation about the strategies that schools around the country are using to help children learning English meet the rising academic standards. The series will feature data and maps to explain immigrant trends and how you can determine the ethnic mix of your community.

Nearly every community in this country is touched by immigrants.

In Central New York, we see the impact of immigration in our schools, neighborhoods, higher institutions of learning, hospitals and commercial districts. Immigrants are running restaurants, stores and other businesses in a lot of neighborhoods.

When you visit St. Joseph Hospital and Health Center, you'll find young men from Sudan transporting patients and caring for them. At University Hospital, you're bound to run into doctors and nurses from Asia, Latin America, Africa and all around the globe. Immigrants are attending and teaching at many universities and colleges in Central New York. And they are also fighting American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least once a month, I cover a naturalization ceremony and tell the stories of people who came here seeking the American dream after fleeing economic, political and social justices in their homelands.

I invite you to follow the New York Times series and also share your thoughts on the impact of immigrants in Central New York.